It's finally over.
Toronto FC concluded their seven-game road trip with a third win, holding on to a 1-0 lead over the Philadelphia Union at PPL Park courtesy of a solid defensive effort and a peach of a free kick by Sebastian Giovinco.
TFC head coach Greg Vanney now heads back to Toronto for the club's home opener with nine points in seven games. With the chance to reflect on their journey across the continent, he was asked whether he would've signed up for nine points before the start of the road swing.
“My greedy self would say I think we should have more, but in the end, yes, I would,” Vanney told MLSsoccer.com over the phone after the match. “It’s the best start that any team has had in league history when they’ve had to start on the road like this. Three wins are the most wins that anybody’s had on the road like this.”
Three other teams have started the season under similar circumstances with long road trips: Sporting Kansas City went 1-6-3 in 10 road games to kick off 2011; the Chicago Fire grabbed 10 points in 2006 in its first nine games; the 2012 Houston Dynamo faced a seven-game road trip of their own, picking up only two wins. For Toronto FC, this victory over Philadelphia can be chalked up to the team’s defensive discipline, says Vanney, as the Reds buckled down and defended with confidence, especially in the final 15 minutes of the match.
It’s a stark contrast to the team’s defensive form from just a few weeks prior, when the back line conceded easy goals. But in the last two matches, with two banks of four players in a 4-4-2, Toronto has looked comfortable defending, a change Vanney says was the result of a group decision to change the dynamic of their approach to maintaining the lead.
Vanney explained that the group now focuses on re-organizing its shape and buying time, rather than pressing higher to win balls in midfield. The TFC boss further explained that, as a result, his side has yielded more of the possession in an effort to secure results on the road. On the attack, Toronto FC are finding their goals from moments of creative genius, sparked, as ever, by the foot of the team's Atomic Ant.
“Seba continues to delight us with the things that he’s capable of doing,” Vanney said. “We often watch him hit those [kinds of free kicks] at the end of training. A lot of times, we’ll have a whole crowd of players behind him as he just hits these balls that knuckle and move all over the place. Our goalkeepers are guessing where it’s going to be next. We kind of laugh at our ‘keepers as we watch and ask ‘how does he hit this ball like that?’”
Now, Toronto FC return to BMO Field for their home opener on Sunday, May 10 (5 pm ET on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, TSN and RDS2). It’s a game the team has been dreaming of since the start of the season.
“We’ve learned a lot about ourselves over the course of these seven games – a lot of lessons that I think MLS teams don’t necessarily get until later in the year,” Vanney concluded. “What we’re most proud of is that we’re going home with some momentum. We’re looking forward to opening the new version of the stadium with 30,000 people in what will be an exciting night.”
Armen Bedakian covers Toronto FC for MLSsoccer.com.
